The Values of the Anglo-saxons

Summary: While creating a legend for himself, Beowulf and other characters within the poem reveal several values of the Anglo-Saxons. These values are highlighted by loyalty, but also include boasting, revenge, and loyalty.

One of the first pieces of British literature recorded is the epic poem Beowulf. The poem concentrates on the life of the adventurous Geat warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf faces several challenges throughout the poem that depict him as a man who would go to extreme lengths to accumulate fame. While creating a legend for himself, Beowulf and other characters within the poem reveal several values of the Anglo-Saxons. These values include their belief in boasting, revenge, and loyalty.

Who wants to be forgotten after death? Clearly not the Anglo-Saxons who believed that all that remained of a person was his fame. This belief explains the outrageous boasting the characters within Beowulf do. When Beowulf arrives in the Danes' kingdom, he begins boasting as he is asking permission from King Hrothgar to fight the monster Grendel who has terrorized the Danes for "twelve winters," (l. 147, 27). Beowulf boasts...